Automobile headlight



C. A. MICHEL AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT Fil ed Feb. 7, 1925 Patented Jan. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,655,620 PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE A. MICHEL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGITOR TO THE GUIDE MOTOR LAMP MIG. COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT;

Application filed February 7, 1925. Serial No. 7,440. i if] This invention relates generally to automobile head lights and more particularly to certain improved construction of reflector particularly adapted for use in connection with an incandescent lamp having two in dependent y operable lighting filaments.

At the present time all automobile head lights are constructed with the View of giving the best road illumination without at the same time creating any disagreeable and dangerous glare to motorists approaching the machine bearing the head light.

With the object of securing this kind of road illumination the reflectors have usuallybeen modified in order to take care of the con'imercial filament so that, while the top of the beam has been broughtdown within the legal limits, it has, at the same time, been directed as far forwardly as possible, and in some instances lenses have been provided to give lateral spread to the beam and also sometimes to further bend the beam downwardly.

In a large number of head lights now in use two separate incandescent lamps are employed, one arranged at the center of the reflector and the other near the top thereof, the upper lamp being of less candle power than the central lamp. The. central lamp is intended for road driving and the upper lamp, known as the dimmer, is used either for city driving or when passing another automobile.

The object of my invention is to provide a head light in which a single centrally arranged lamp is employed but is provided with two independent lighting filaments which are preferably of the same candle power although they can be of different candl powers if so desired. In using lamps having two filaments, it is desirable to have the top of the beam generated by the driving filament projected as far forwardly as possible and to draw or bend down the top of the beam when the second filament is employed, this second filament serving the same purpose as the dimmer in the ordinary head light. In this manner one filament can be employed for ordinary road driving and the other one employed for town driving or passing other automobiles. In order to employ these double filaments which are usually separated about 5/82nd of an inch apart, ;'I have found it necessary to make certain corrections or modifications to the reflector employed in combination with such double filament lamps. V

Broadly speaking, this is accomplished by correcting the upper part of the upper half of the reflector and the lower part of the lower half of the reflector. More specifically stated, these correct-ions may be made by the modification of the true parabola,

the tilting of the. section downwardly, the use of a modifying lens, or the wider separation of the focal points of the sections of the parabola, or any combination of the specific corrections hereinbefore mentioned.

Having described the broad conception of my invention, I shall now describe one form of the reflector employed in connection with a double filament lamp and whereby the broad principle of my invention is accomplished.

The specific form is shown in the accom panymg drawing in which Fig. 1 is a ver tical sectional View of my improved form of reflector and Fig. 2 is a face View of the same Referring to the drawings A indicates an incandescent lamp having two independently lighted filaments B and C, the filament B being located substantially on the axis D of the reflector but this filament may if desired be located a very few thousandths of an inch above the axis. located preferably about one eighth of an inch above the filament B. Upon the axis D there are indicated two focal points andthe upper half of the reflector is described from the rear focal point whereas the lower half of the reflector is described from the forward focal point. The upper half of the reflector is modified to a certain extent, that is to say, the true curvature of revolution being indicated by the dotted line F Gr whereas the generated curve and upon which the outer annular portion of the upper half of the reflector is actually constructed is indicated by the full lineF G; The lower half of the reflector is tilted as a whole, the amount of tilt being indicated by the axis D and the curvature of revolution before tilting is indicated by the dotted line H I" whereas the curvature of revolution after The second filament C is r tilting is indicated by the full line H I. Be-

would be produced at the intersection of the upper and lower halves of the reflector and in order to avoid this and also to facilitate at H I and the spacing of the focal points as previously described with the filaments between said focal points. When the lower filament is extinguished and the upper one illuminated the rays of light will be still further depressed thereby providing a perfectly safe light for city driving and for passing other vehicles.

I have not shown any particular type of lens for use in connection with my improved form of reflector and lamp but it will be understood that any suit-able lens can be employed either for the purpose of giving lateral spread to the rays or for further directing downwardly the rays emanating from the reflector.

It will thus be seen that I provide a cornbination of lamp and reflector which will give the desired results in road illumination for the automobile.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a light projector the combination of a reflector and a light bulb having two independently lighted filaments, one substantially on the axis of the reflector and one above said axis, the focus of the lower half of the reflector being spaced from and in front of the focus of the upper half of the reflector the filaments being located between the focal points, the lower half of the reflector being tilted downwardly and the forward annular portion of the upper half of the reflector being modified so as to reflect downwardly the rays of light from either filament.

2. In light projector the combination of a reflector and a light bulb having two independently lighted filaments one on the axis of the reflector and one above said axis, the focus of the lower half of the reflector being spaced from and in advance of the focus of the upper half of the reflector, said filaments being located between the focal points, the lower half of the reflector being tilted downwardly the forward annular portion of the upper half being modified so as to reflect downwardly the rays of light from either filament, and transition surfaces interposed between the upper and lower halves of the reflector.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto am); my

signature.

CLARENCE A. MICHEL. 

